As a fan of crafting and cute DIYs, I have been amassing a small collection of wooden Rolife dioramas. But though adorable, they seemed rather intimidating, so I never actually tried to put one together…until now! With the help of my model kit-savvy boyfriend, I was finally able to see what the assembly was like for one of the cutest kits in my backlog: the Rolife Dark Castle DIY Dollhouse Box Theater.
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Anything can happen on Halloween, and this year at Chic Pixel, I’m joining in the 31 days of horror movie challenge! Well, since Marcus and I will be doing it together, it’s technically a Pixel x Pixel challenge, and I thought it would be fun to share with all of you in case you would like to give it a go, too.
Broadly, the challenge consists of watching a different horror movie every day of October, but you can watch as many or as few as you want. Or, perhaps you want to watch two one day and skip the next? Go for it!
Our list is made up of movies that were on Marcus’ and my mutual watch list, Marcus’ personal watch list, a few things we’ve been wanting one another to see, and one we want to watch together. We couldn’t keep the list down to just 31, so there are are few alternates that can be swapped in or just added on if we’re feeling adventurous.
Finally, there isn’t any specific order to this list, and we’re likely going to pick and choose based on what fits the mood and the window of time we have to watch for the day. Films that have an M next to them are ones that Marcus has already seen, while A marks ones I’ve watched before. Feel free to check out the list and join in if you’re interested, or share what films you’ll be watching!
We’ll be posting short reviews in the Chic Pixel Pals Discord, so be sure to join if you haven’t already. To sign up, just fill out this form to receive an invite. I’ll also publish a roundup of highlights (and possibly lowlights…) here on the blog at the end. Happy watching!
Your favorite friends-turned-lovers podcasting duo makes their triumphant return with episode 109 of Pixel x Pixel! For the first time in her adult life, Anne is in the US for the summer convention and concert season, so she and Marcus regale their many event adventures from the past couple of months, including Cat Con, Midsummer Scream, a Jeff Goldblum concert, a Danny Elfman concert, Disney Pride Nite, and more! Plus, Marcus picked up the Asus ROG Ally and has all his hot takes on the best new PC gaming handheld. And don’t forget, Anne’s latest game localization credit, Norn9: Last Era, comes out at the end of August!
43:00 – Media Minutes: Vampire Survivors co-op, Super Mario RPG, Hypnospace Outlaw, Gex, Beacon Pines, Return of the Obra Dinn, The Excavation of Hobbs Barrow, Barbie, Thank God It’s Friday
1:05:00 – Media Minutes: JAST Blue localizing two PIL/SLASH BL games, Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon localization announced, Clock Tower remaster, Ratatan Kickstarter, Disney ending physical releases in AU and NZ, Fashion Dreamer and Virche Evermore: Error Salvation release dates
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
The Takarazuka Revue, Japan’s all-female theater troupe, has been historically difficult to access for foreigners. While they have performed around the world since the troupe’s first performance in 1914, the most recent US performance was in 1992 according to the Takarazuka Wiki. Tickets are available to purchase online for their in-person performances in Japan, but there’s nothing like the fancy subtitle glasses some shows use if you don’t know Japanese.
That’s why the livestream announcement for Cosmos Troupe’s Casino Royale -My Name’s Bond- was met with such excitement, as it marked the first time a full Takarazuka Revue performance would be streamed for an international audience. And with English, Korean, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Indonesian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Thai subtitles, at that!
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Never fear, episode 108 of Pixel x Pixel is here! Your intrepid cohosts Marcus and Anne have been too busy going out and having fun to record lately, but that means they have lots of extra fun things to discuss on this latest episode! First, Marcus is back with a new and improved Collector’s Cabinet article on GrimGrimoire Once More featuring photos by Anne, and he’s gone and preordered yet another handheld PC device. Meanwhile, Anne has been hard at work launching their new joint Instagram account and picking up a snazzy new job! Don’t forget to stay tuned for Media Minutes where they really lose it over the Project Q announcement.
35:00 – Media Minutes: Emulation, Neighbor, Lighthouse, Tbe Super Mario Bros. Movie JP version, Spirited Away stage play, Takarazuka Revue Casino Royale
1:00:00 – Media Minutes: PlayStation showcase, Marvelous game showcase, Norn9 Last Era preorders/release date change, OPPAI Ero App Academy Bigger, Better, Electric Boobaloo, Ooku: The Inner Chambers anime
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
Naoshi, the sand artist I recently met at Takumi Alley, has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a picture book called Tako Knows! Follow the short but endearing life of Tako, a tako (the Japanese word for “octopus”), through 88 pages of colorful illustrations designed to bring joy and humor to readers of all ages.
Naoshi writes that after learning that some species of octopi’s lives can be as short as two years, she was “struck by their strength to live out their lives in earnest” and thus was inspired to write a picture book about a tako living its life to the fullest. I love the vibrant colors and whimsical themes in Naoshi’s art, and Tako Knows definitely excemplifies that. Plus, it’s all the more amazing when you realize all of the art is created from colored sand!
While the Kickstarter was already fully funded within a four hours of launching, there is still plenty of incentive to back, including a stretch goal where all backers will receive two postcards with their other rewards!
The picture book itself is $20, but there are a plethora of add-ons to choose from, including an art print of “The Great Tako Wave” inspired by “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa,” a sticker sheet, washi tape, and even a sand art DIY kit.
To learn more about the various tiers available to backers, check out the official Kickstarter page. The campaign runs through June 14, so hopefully we will see even more exciting stretch goals in the future!
Naoshi can also be found on her website, Etsy, and Instagram.
Welcome back to yet another episode of Pixel x Pixel, where co-hosts Marcus and Anne see all the hot new movies and play all the hottest video game releases! Well, that’s what it feels like this time anyway, with Marcus and Anne dipping their toes into the Resident Evil 4 remake and watching the Mario movie on opening night. But it’s not all shiny and new media, as the pair stay true to their roots by also watching and playing some extremely random things… Plus, Anne covers a Japanese stationery event and does some promotion to celebrate the release of Norn9: Var Commons!
Anne’s Norn9: Var Commons interview at Blerdy Otome
Super Mario 64 stream, Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw demo stream
13:20 – Media Minutes: Resident Evil 4 remake, Suzuki Bakuhatsu, Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Demon Seed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Super Mario 64, Mario Bros. movie
44:26 – Notable News: E3 2023 cancelled, Lkyt and Sorcerer’s Choice: Angel or Demon? BL game releases, Hana Awase: New Moon announced with English text included
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta